Tattle Tale (Ch. 6)

Plus flippers and a German malfunctioning toilet

Sep 17, 2025

Welcome to a fictional series I’ve poured my heart into these past few months. Follow me into the world of high school theatre, where friendships, rivalries, and backstage crushes collide—and one girl fights for her dream as love and loyalty tug her in opposite directions.

I hope you enjoy reading as much as I loved writing this!

Chapter 6

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

BRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!

The bell’s chime cut through the air, signaling the end of first period—ten minutes earlier than usual due to an assembly of some kind. Indigo couldn’t remember. She rose from her seat and left the classroom, allowing the current of students to propel her to the gymnasium and through the doors.

“Indigo!!”

She glanced up, snapping out of the daydream she’d found herself in. Hudson was walking toward her from near the doorway, where it seemed he’d been waiting. Indigo ducked through a gap in the line and popped out beside him.

“Hey, I called your name like five times,” he said, putting a hand on her elbow to guide her toward the bleachers.

“Oh, sorry.” Indigo followed her boyfriend up the stairs. He’d probably found a seat in the uppermost row like usual. “I’m just tired.”

“Couldn’t tell.” Hudson flashed her a grin. “Don’t worry, you can take a power nap during the assembly. I’ll cover for you.”

Giving a small laugh, Indigo climbed the last few stairs and sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder. She really was tired; which was the consequence of staying up till one in the morning memorizing facts about World War I and II. Yet, the only thing she seemed to remember was how a malfunctioning toilet led to the destruction of one of Germany’s submarines.

The whine of a microphone drew Indigo’s attention to the gym floor, where the principal stood flanked by a few female faculty members. A large poster served as their backdrop, with the words International Women’s Day painted sloppily in big, pink letters—probably an ASB contribution.

Indigo tilted her chin up to whisper in Hudson’s ear. “Why do we have an International Women’s Day, but not an International Men’s Day?”

She felt him shrug, not bothering to answer. The principal began to talk, saying something about the importance of recognizing the women in their school. Indigo tuned him out, nearly falling asleep to the drone of his voice, when Hudson woke her with a question.

“So have you heard from U-Dub yet?”

“Uh.” Indigo looked up, blinking. She couldn’t remember. Had she heard from the University of Washington yet? It could very well be sitting in the pile of unopened college letters that would probably be thrown away soon—since she’d already made her decision.

“I don’t know,” she finally replied.

“You should check your mail.” Hudson looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I heard back yesterday: got accepted. So, off to Seattle in the fall.”

Suddenly remembering Hudson’s plan for him—no, them—to go to the same university, Indigo felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She hadn’t exactly agreed to the plan… but she also hadn’t objected.

Biting her lip, Indigo whispered, “I’m actually thinking about going somewhere else.”

“Really? Where?” Hudson sat up, forcing Indigo to remove her head from his shoulder. “I thought we were planning on going to the same college.”

“California. And the plan wasn’t, like, super set in stone or anything. This place will be able to give me better opportunities in the long run.”

“Oh.” Keeping his gaze fixed ahead of him, Hudson didn’t say anything more.

“California and Seattle aren’t that far away.” Indigo reached for his hand, relieved when he didn’t pull away. “And we’d see each other on breaks! It’d work out just fine.”

“Maybe,” he replied, his tone a little softer. “But didn’t you say U-Dub’s acting program was good, too? Just tell me you’ll think about it—give it till Friday.”

Indigo leaned against his shoulder once more. “Sure, I can do that.”

They sat in silence for the last few minutes of the assembly, sitting up to clap with the rest of the school when the speech was finally over. As they headed down the stairs, a wave caught Indigo’s eye.

It had come from Nic, who was standing in a row waiting for the tide to subside. Indigo waved back, smiling.

“Who was that?” Hudson asked her as they made it to the floor.

“Oh, um, that was Nic.”

Glancing behind them, Hudson frowned. “The guy you have to kiss?”

“The guy that is acting in a play with me,” she corrected, glad the conversation was coming to an end; his next class was down the hallway they were approaching.

Hudson turned away, clenching his jaw.

“See you after practice tonight?” Indigo called after him as he started down the hallway.

“Yeah, see you.”

He didn’t look back, but at least he hadn’t ignored her. With a sigh, Indigo started walking toward her next period.

As she turned, a flash of orange tugged her gaze upward. Mercy stood at a locker, painstakingly turning the lock back and forth as she entered the code. Looking up, she raised an eyebrow, a corner of her mouth lifting in a chilled smile.

Great. There was no way Mercy hadn’t heard their conversation. Without a word, Indigo spun on her heels and headed the opposite direction.

Hopefully her history test would go better than this.

“Can you believe tech week is only a few weeks away??”

Alice wiggled into a pair of athletic shorts, pulling them over the pink swimsuit that she was wearing. Her smile was as vibrant as the yellow daisies scattered across it.

March had somehow flung them into mid-April—which was certainly not warm enough to go swimming—but it was now time to practice costume changes and do full-costume run-throughs.

And Mamma Mia! involved a lot of swimsuits.

“I know, it still feels like March,” Indigo adjusted the straps to the white lacey dress that hung lightly over her own blue one-piece. “Is that from the costume closet?”

Alice looked down at her bodice. “Nope. I convinced Mom to get it. I thought, ‘What better excuse for a new swimsuit?’ And I told her it was a necessity for the play.”

Indigo laughed. “Well, it’s cute.”

“Thanks!” Alice beamed. She paused for a moment as she tied the string on her shorts.

“So, is Hudson over you two going to different colleges yet?”

“Yes, finally.” Indigo’s smile fell slightly. “I think.”

“You think?”

“Well, it took a while. But I think we’ve figured out a schedule to visit each other at least once a quarter. We’ll take turns flying.”

“Lots of people do it!” Alice pulled her hair back into a scrunchie in a shade of bubblegum pink. “You guys’ll be fine.”

Indigo looked away. “We’ll see,” she said quietly.

But Alice hadn’t heard her. Mercy had walked into the dressing room to order all the girls to hurry up—Mrs. Green was about to come in to approve their beach outfits before they could join the boys.

Once they passed the modesty check, the girls flooded out of the dressing room into the black box. Alice giggled and nudged Indigo, nodding her head towards Nic.

He was waddling around the room, squeezed into a wetsuit and flippers.

Indigo couldn’t help but laugh out loud—he looked utterly ridiculous. Hearing her, Nic glanced up and grinned. He flapped his feet against the floor as he made his way over to them.

“Whaddya think, Sophie?” Nic raised one eyebrow as a teasing curve touched his mouth. “You ready to get married?”

“Not with you looking like that!” Indigo pushed his shoulder in mock disdain. “What do you think my mom would say?”

“Hm,” Nic looked down at his feet, feigning confusion. “What’s wrong with this? You don’t think it’s hot?”

“If by hot, you mean completely ridiculous, then you’re spot on.”

“I sure hope your boyfriend doesn’t overhear you two flirting like that.” Mercy interjected as she stalked by.

She tossed her strawberry waves over her shoulder, gazing at Indigo. “But I guess he doesn’t mind, since he’s okay with you kissing other guys and all.”

Indigo opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. Nic’s face fell into a guarded expression as Alice’s eyes narrowed to little razor slits.

Indigo wished she could come up with something witty to reply with. But the best she could do was: “It’s just acting, Mercy! You know that.”

“Oh. Is it?”

Mercy examined them, her eyes lingering a moment too long on Nic, and smiled as if she held some piece of information they didn’t have. Then she swept away without a backwards glance.

“Viper,” Alice whisper-hissed through clenched teeth.

“Do you think it was my outfit?” Nic’s futile attempt at humor fell short, landing against an uncomfortable silence. “I, uh, guess I’ll go join the other guys.”

“Don’t-” Indigo reached out and touched her fingers to his arm. “Don’t listen to her. She’s just being annoying.”

Glancing up, Nic gave a small smile—but the teasing glint from before had dissipated. “Right,” he said before walking away.

“What just happened?” Indigo asked, partly to herself.

Alice huffed. “She’s jealous.”

“Because I’m Sophie? I thought she’d be over that by now.”

“No,” Alice began, pursing her lips. “Of you and Nic.”

“Me and Nic?” Indigo blinked.

“I mean, you guys talk a lot.” With a shrug, Alice looked over at Indigo. “And you get along really well.”

“We’re just friends!”

“I know!” Alice held up her hands. “I’m just… pointing out what’s probably bothering her. She clearly likes him.”

Indigo looked away, suddenly realizing how cold and exposed she felt in her swimsuit. Her mind swirled with confusion and a sense of disappointment that she didn’t attempt to decipher. Luckily, Mrs. Green chose that moment to stride to the front of the room and clap for the students’ attention.

“I see you kids shivering,” she said. “But dancing should warm you right up. Nic, Indie, and boys—you two are up first. Time to put it all together for ‘Lay All Your Love On Me!’”

Indigo groaned inwardly; it could not have been a more awkward scene to start with.

Good thing she knew how to act.

Up Next, Chapter 7

Thank you so much for reading! To support my words, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I hope to see you around!

Start here!